C 457 ] 
his banifhment, or about A. D. 10. but, by the ta- 
bles, the Sun entered Aquarius, that year, Jan. 21. 
and in the fecond year of Antoninus Pius, or A. D. 
139. when Ptolemy obferved the fixed ftars, he en- 
tered the fame fign Jan. ao d 16 11 , or at 4 o’clock in 
the morning Jan. 21. according to the vulgar reck- 
oning. 
But if fuch miftakes could be committed at this 
time, how little muft we fuppofe the true time of 
the folftice known, fo early as the year before Chrifl: 
880. 
But not to affume too much, let us fuppofe a mif- 
take of two days only, in the rifing of Ardturus. By 
calculating as before, we fhall find, that A. C. 1689. 
the point of the ecliptic riling along with Ardturus, in 
the latitude of Athens, was jo* 35' 5 5", the point 
oppofite to which is T 100 35' yy". But this point 
the Sun entered, that year, March 20. when, con- 
fequently, Ardturus rofe there achronically : But in 
the year before Chrifl: 880. as before obferved, Arc- 
turus might be faid to rife achronically there March 2. 
this gives a difference of 18 days in 2)69 years- 
from whence a difference of 2 days will give 2 8y 
years, which fubtradted from the year before Chrilt 
880. will give the year before Chrifl: y9y. for the time, 
of Pleliod, and, confequently, of Homer too, if con- 
temporary with him, for any thing that can be ga- 
thered to the contrary from the achronical rifing of 
Ardturus. 
Having now fhewn, in this manner, what little pre- 
cifion there is in this argument, I might, as I at firft 
intended, take my leave of the fubjedt, and refer the 
fettling the age of thefe two poets to authorities of 
M m m another 
